People

Marc Nelsen involvement with the ifaz is fueled by his
passion for the possibilities the future holds in store for all of us. His interest in foreign cultures has led him early on to France and the USA for studying purposes. After
completion of an international MBA program, he successfully executed projects in American and European companies while employed at wellknown international consulting firms. In different
positions as Senior Manager, he gained extensive experience in the design and development of organizations. At the ifaz, the focal points for his research are the areas of open innovation,
future technologies, and big data.

Dr. Stefan Birk has experienced various working models: the traditional one as an employee at an academic
institute and in the head office of a DAX-listed enterprise, or flexible in space and time as the project leader for an international consulting firm. Furthermore, his time as a
full-time family man, entirely dedicated to the upbringing of his children, has strongly formed his view on "work". He was last active in the executive board of a now medium-sized
start-up. He is primarily engaged in the questions concerned with the work and organization of the future, including the challenges they represent for the
management.

stefan.birk@i-faz.de

History

In 1983, researchers from the University of Munich and open-minded executive managers came together
with the objective of tightly anchoring strategic thought in business practice. In the course of three decaseds, this initiative turned into a renowned forum for the exchange of information and
experience in the field of strategic planning. Numerous well-known speakers from big corporations (e.g.
Siemens, Bayer, IBM) and from medium-sized enterprises (Kathrein Werke, Hipp, Arthur Fischer) participated in the yearly conferences of the GSP Gesellschaft für Strategische Planung e.V. (the
society for strategic planning, a registered association). Moreover, speakers from the scientific sector like the renowned management researcher Thomas H. Davenport, presented new methods for
strategic management there.

Today, the planning of long-term company development is "state of the art" in Germany. Therefore, we dared to relaunch the institute in 2014. In the future, we want to put forward the most relevant strategic question for our time: What kind of environment do companies have to develop for their creative knowledge workers, in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage? This
mission is reflected in the new name, "Institute for Work Design and Future Technologies, a registered association" (Institut für Arbeitsdesign und Zukunftstechnologien e.V.).